Yeovil Hospital Outrage Over Stroke Unit

Outrage is growing as patients and medical experts claim the government and NHS decision to close Yeovil Hospital's hyper-acute stroke unit is based on outdated and now invalid justifications. The controversial closure, initially announced in January, has faced fierce opposition, with patient representatives and a leading stroke consultant demanding an urgent review in light of significant new developments.

A Flawed Decision Built on Old Data

Patient groups representing eight Somerset GP surgeries, including Yeovil, Crewkerne, Martock, Sherborne, and Somerton, have joined forces with stroke consultant Dr. Khalid Rashed in a scathing critique of the decision. In an open letter to NHS Somerset’s Integrated Care Board (ICB), Dr. Rashed argued that the reasons given for closing the unit no longer stand.

“The staffing shortage that was used to justify the closure has been resolved. The unit now has a safe number of specialists and could easily run seven days a week,” Dr. Rashed explained. He emphasized that maintaining the service locally, rather than forcing patients to travel to Dorchester or Taunton, would lead to better outcomes for stroke sufferers in the area.

Dr. Rashed also highlighted that improved staffing levels would allow the unit to meet performance targets—a key justification for the closure that is now moot.

Patients at Risk, Local Voices Ignored

The closure plan would see stroke patients transported to facilities in Dorchester or Taunton, increasing travel times and jeopardizing the crucial "golden hour" window for stroke treatment.

Patient groups have called the plan reckless and harmful to rural communities, where distance and transport issues already limit access to healthcare. “How can the government claim this will save lives when they’re forcing stroke patients to travel further for critical care? It’s a betrayal of local healthcare,” one representative stated.

Meanwhile another said: ' The  bottom line is - Have a stroke in Yeovil and you are likely to die' 

MP Adam Dance: A Clear Call for Reversal

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has thrown his little weight at Westminster, behind the campaign to save the unit, condemning the closure as unjustifiable. “Recent developments, including successful recruitment at Yeovil Hospital and Dr. Rashed’s findings, prove that the original justification for closure no longer holds,” he said. “This decision must be revisited before lives are needlessly lost.”

Dance also criticized the government’s broader approach to healthcare, accusing it of systematically eroding rural services in favor of centralization, which he called “an insult to the people who rely on local hospitals like Yeovil.”

NHS Somerset Defends the Indefensible

Despite the growing opposition, NHS Somerset’s ICB remains steadfast, insisting the changes will result in "better emergency treatment, fewer deaths, and improved recovery for stroke patients."

However, critics have branded this claim as propaganda, pointing to the overwhelming evidence presented by Dr. Rashed and local representatives. “The ICB’s response smacks of bureaucratic spin,” said a spokesperson for the patient groups. “How can they claim this is better care when every expert on the ground says otherwise?”

The Fight to Save Local Healthcare

The closure of Yeovil Hospital’s stroke unit is emblematic of a wider crisis in the NHS, where rural communities are left behind in favor of cost-cutting measures and centralized services. Patients, doctors, and MPs are now demanding the government and NHS Somerset stop ignoring local needs and start listening to the evidence.

This isn’t just about one stroke unit—it’s about the principle of equitable healthcare for all. As one campaigner put it, “If we allow this closure to go ahead, we’re sending a message that rural lives matter less. That’s something we cannot and will not accept.”

The pressure is mounting for the government to act. The question now is whether it will listen—or if it will allow the lives of Somerset residents to be collateral damage in its failing healthcare strategy.